Workload stood out
Keeping up with the workload was selected by 48% of respondents, 22 percentage points ahead of either of the joint second-place answers.
What is your biggest worry going into the next academic year?
Keeping up with the workload was the most selected answer at 48%. Mental health and finding a job afterwards were tied at 26% each, while no respondents selected affording rent and bills.
48%
Workload was the biggest worry
Twenty of the 42 respondents said keeping up with the workload was their biggest worry going into the next academic year.
How did students answer?
Respondents selected one option from four. Percentages are calculated from 42 responses and rounded to whole numbers.
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Keeping up with the workload20 responses48%
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My mental health11 responses26%
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Finding a job afterwards11 responses26%
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Affording rent and bills0 responses0%
Base: 42 responses, raw counts shown
Collected through Unifresher Instagram Stories · 10 August 2026
What does this result suggest?
Within this indicative sample, concerns about managing the academic year itself were prominent, with workload the clear leading answer and mental health tied with graduate employment in second place.
Mental health and jobs were tied
Eleven respondents selected mental health and another eleven selected finding a job afterwards. Affording rent and bills received no responses in this particular poll.
74%
Nearly three quarters chose workload or mental health
Thirty-one of 42 respondents selected one of these two answers. This is an editorial calculation combining two poll options, not a separate question.
How was this poll collected?
This was a quick audience poll designed to provide an indicative view from respondents reached through Unifresher.
- Exact question
- What is your biggest worry going into the next academic year?
- Answer options
- Affording rent and bills, Keeping up with the workload, My mental health, Finding a job afterwards
- Responses
- 42 total responses. Raw counts are shown alongside every percentage.
- Fieldwork date
- Monday 10 August 2026
- Audience
- People who viewed and responded to the poll through the Unifresher Instagram audience.
- Collection method
- Unifresher Instagram Stories. Respondents selected one of four fixed answer options.
- Calculation
- Percentages were calculated directly from the supplied raw response totals and rounded to whole numbers. No weighting or adjustment was applied.
- Verification
- The four supplied response counts were checked against the stated total of 42 responses before publication.
- Representation
- Indicative audience poll. The result reflects respondents to this Unifresher poll and is not statistically representative of all UK university students.
- Editorial independence
- No commercial partner directed or influenced the question, answer options, analysis or interpretation shown on this page.
Reviewed by Connor Steele. Data totals, calculations, methodology wording and editorial interpretation reviewed for Unifresher on 11 August 2026.
Read the full Unifresher research methodologyCite this poll
Keep the sample size, fieldwork date and indicative poll description with the finding.
48% of respondents said keeping up with the workload was their biggest worry going into the next academic year. Source: Unifresher Next Academic Year Worries Poll, 2026. 42 responses via Instagram Stories, collected 10 August 2026. Indicative poll. unifresher.co.uk/data-hub
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